Mo Brown wins tight Democratic primary race for state assembly District 129
Syracuse University alum Maurice “Mo” Brown won the Democratic primary for New York state Assembly District 129, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections Tuesday. Originally deemed too close to call, Brown won the primary with 50.53% of the votes. Avery Magee | Development Editor
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Syracuse University alum Maurice “Mo” Brown won the Democratic primary race over 14-term incumbent Bill Magnarelli in the New York State Assembly’s 129th District.
Brown won with 3,423 votes — just 78 more votes than Magnarelli — and a margin of 50.53%, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
The morning after election day on June 24, the race was deemed too close to call with Brown leading Magnarelli with 50.57% of the votes, according to unofficial results from the Onondaga County Board of Elections.
Before a winner was determined, Brown led by 82 votes with absentee and emergency ballots still needing to be counted. The Board of Elections counted the votes Tuesday after giving the remaining ballots a week to arrive.
This marks Brown’s first term for state assembly and the end of Magnarelli’s consecutive 28-year run. Brown ran on an “Affordability slate” with local politicians Tammy Honeywell and Jo Bennett. Honeywell ran for Onondaga County Legislator in District 8, while Bennett won the seat in District 15, Brown’s current seat.
“The community has spoken, and the message is clear: Housing, healthcare, and education are human rights and the role of government is to protect those rights,” Brown said in a press release Tuesday. “Our victory today is a collective one. It is a victory against big money and establishment politics. It is a victory for all people, for our shared environment, and for the hope of democratic socialism.”
Brown said he looks forward to “fight” for the district and represent it in Albany should he be elected in November.
The results will be officially certified by the BOE on July 7 before the general election on Nov. 3.
